Double recognition for microbiologist

A consultant microbiologist at Cambridge University Hospitals has received national recognition twice in one week. A study into the superbug MRSA by Professor Sharon Peacock has just been published and now its been announced she will get the coveted Unilever Colworth Prize in recognition of her work.

The prize, which will be presented at the society's annual meeting in April, "recognises excellence" and is awarded to those "making significant contributions in the field of microbiology".

The announcement came just a day after a study into the superbug MRSA, led by Professor Peacock, was considered so important it was published in the prestigious academic journal, Science Translational Medicine.

Her researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases and Cambridge's Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute used DNA sequencing to scrutinise nearly 1500 patient samples from three hospitals and 75 GP surgeries in the eastern region.